Review: AVENUE Q at Theatre Arlington

Before there was Stede Bonnet: The F*cking Pirate Musical, before there was Something Rotten, before there was even The Book of Mormon (the play, not the actual book – that’s a bit older), there was Avenue Q, a play that, despite the puppets, is most definitely not for children (nor for overly sensitive adults).  With music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx (based on their original concept), and a book by Jeff Whitty, the play is both touching and biting, shocking and soothing, and very nearly hysterical.

Describing it to the uninitiated is reminiscent of Bob Newhart’s routine trying to explain the new game of baseball: not only can it not do it justice, but it sounds downright insane.  I’ll try anyway.  All but three of the characters are puppets.  Some of the puppets are monsters (a race which, while integrated into American society, still has acceptance problems), while most are human.  There are also two wicked Care Bears…and some singing boxes.  Nothing is off limits: there’s a fair amount of swearing, sexual content is everywhere – including a scene of hot, uncensored puppet-on-puppet action (including a position I don’t think is physically possible for non-puppets to recreate), and race, class, and sexual preference are major issues.  And it’s hilarious.  And oh yeah, it’s a musical.   And one of the human characters is Gary Coleman.  With that as an elevator pitch, it’s a miracle they found backers, but thank goodness they did.

Princeton (Bryson Petersen) has just graduated from college and is looking for an apartment in New York City.  Finding that anything centrally located is out of his price range, he’s ended up way out on Avenue Q.  There he meets Brian (Brandon Wilhelm), an unemployed comedian; Brian’s fiancée, the oddly named (which is never explained) Christmas Eve (Lindsay Longacre), a therapist; Kate Monster (Jessica Humphrey), a Kindergarten teacher’s aide in search of a boyfriend; businessman Rod (Darin Martin) and his best friend and roommate, Nicky (Hayden Lopez); as well as the building’s superintendent, who just happens to be TV’s Gary Coleman (Jayden Russell).  They’ll be joined by Trekkie Monster (Andrew Nicholas), the Bad Idea Bears (Landry Beckley and Lindsay Hayward), and later, by “entertainer” Lucy (Brandy Roper).

By design, the play is a rip off (or perhaps satire) of Sesame Street, but the reality is so much more than that.  Instead of focusing on the basics, it’s about adult concepts, most notably purpose, followed by commitment, and of course, friendship, as well as schadenfreude (the joy we take in the misfortune of others).  The songs, whether serious, funny, or a combination of both, are often brilliant.  You completely forget, for example, that the heartbreaking There’s a Fine, Fine Line is being sung by a puppet (who’s also a monster).  On the other hand, Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist is able to evaluate society truthfully only because it’s being led by puppets. 

Director Bryan Stevenson also designed the set, which is a much more run down and gritty (almost slummy) Avenue Q than I’ve seen before, but that just highlights the fact that good people can live in bad neighborhoods – although I suspect Rod’s making enough money that he probably wouldn’t be in quite such a bad part of town.  Unfortunately, some of the projections got lost on the background scenery.  On the other hand, sound designer Ryan Simón has done an excellent job protecting the singers’ voices from the very strong off-stage band (musical director Mark Mullino, Vonda K. Bowling, Andrew Goins, Dennis Langevin, and Jay Majernik).   Kyle Harris’ lighting, Hope Cox’s costumes, and Robin Dotson’s props were all solid.  Puppet designer Alastair Sigala Ramirez seems to have opted for a color-blind design, eschewing the familiar themes from previous productions.

The cast is strong across the board, but special notice needs to be given to Jessica Humphrey as Kate Monster.  Her voice was perfect in the role, portraying the sweetness and caring nature of the character, while still capturing her aggravations and pain.   

Except for various Shakespeare plays, I’ve seen Avenue Q more times than any other show (before this, five productions, two of which I went back to see a second time).  As such, I was a bit concerned that I might be overdoing it – would it still be funny and compelling and fun?  Theatre Arlington answered that question resoundingly: yes.  It was delightful.  Because of my tardiness, this review goes up on the the production’s final weekend.  If you already have plans for this weekend, change them, so you can see this sweet, foul-mouthed, uplifting, and truly hilarious play.

Photos courtesy of TayStan Photography

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